Category Archives: Europe

End of an Era

Posted on December 3, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

If you have traveled in Italy during this century, it’s likely that you have enjoyed an invigorating little cup of espresso at the bargain price of €1. Sadly, Italy’s beloved inexpensive espresso, a cultural icon served at bars across the … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Restaurants, Tourism | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

“For every five people who read this book four will go insane.”

Posted on December 2, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Charles Fort’s Book of the Damned: “For every five people who read this book“, wrote novelist/playwright Ben Hecht, “four will go insane”. If you are feeling courageous, the book is available for free right here. In 2020, Stéphanie Colaux discovered an … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, ebooks, Europe, Museums, Public Transport, Restaurants, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Never Have to Leave the Airport

Posted on November 30, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Situated near Amsterdam’s New West ,  Corendon Amsterdam New-West, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel has 680 guest rooms and two decommissioned Boeing passenger planes. One is available for special events, while the other is attached to the one-of-a-kind 737 Suite . … Continue reading →

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Not creepy at all

Posted on November 27, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Young, blonde and available to chat in 20 languages “Emma”  is the new brand ambassador “Emma” for the travel in Germany — and she is AI-generated. On Instagram and in a chat function, she is designed to offer the international … Continue reading →

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Just another marbled Monday

Posted on November 25, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

The wavy patterns on the edges, covers, and endpapers on this tooled and blind-stamped, half-bound book are from Carew’s Survey of Cornwall printed in London by Thomas Bensley for J. Faulder and Rees and Curtis in 1811. The marbled-paper pattern is what the University of Washington’s site … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Asia, Europe, History, Travel Writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Bookstore Tourism

Posted on November 17, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

The Abecadlo Antiquarian Bookshop is located in a former 19th pharmacy, at 18 Kościuszki Street in Krakow, Poland. Its beautiful interior is made up of antique pharmacy furniture dating back to the 1890s, which the owners managed to save and … Continue reading →

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Train Songs

Posted on November 15, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

What would Pachebel’s Canon sound like if played by a series of cacophonous train horns? To find out, watch this video by Pavel Jirásek, who edited short bits from ACETrainsUK’s horn 7m50s compilation of trains in the United Kingdom with other clips of train horns to … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Music, Public Transport, Tourism | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Encounters with French culture

Posted on November 13, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Last week, the American Library in Paris announced the winner of their 2024 Book Award, which recognizes titles originally published in English “that best realizes new and intellectually significant ideas about France, the French people, or encounters with French culture.” … Continue reading →

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Things Fall Apart

Posted on November 11, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

  Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is … Continue reading →

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Twenty Lessons

Posted on November 10, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

In 2016, Yale history professor Timothy Snyder took to Facebook to share some lessons from 20th century about how to protect our liberal democracy from fascism and authoritarianism. In response to this week’s catastrophic election, I’ve reproduced it in its entirety here. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Europe, Freedom of Speech, History | Tagged | 4 Comments